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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Caterpillar Behavior


This morning I went kayaking up the Pearl River and into a bayou. No alligators this time, but we did see a white egret fly off a Cyprus tree. We spent the rest of the morning with “ZOO.” This is when we identify, photograph and take care of the caterpillars. We saw some very interesting behaviors. One caterpillar, the Dotted Gray, stretched itself out to look like a stick. Another caterpillar, a Notodontidae, raised both its head and hind parts up in the air. 1. Why do you think they do these things?
After lunch, we went back to Honey Island Swamp and surveyed a different plot. We found lots of very cool caterpillars. One was an Arcturidae and we named it Polar Bear. I’m pretty sure there’s a picture of it in The Caterpillars of Louisiana binder in the classroom. One of the ways that we collect the caterpillars is by using a “Beat sheet.” This is a canvas square that we hold under a tree or bush while we hit the plant with a bamboo stick. We then check the beat sheet to see what has fallen out. Some caterpillars try to get off the beat sheet and head for the ground. 2. Why do you think they do this?
Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed plants that contain a chemical that makes them taste really bad to birds. In fact it makes any bird that tries to eat one vomit. The one caterpillar or butterfly that gets eaten dies, but the bird will not try to eat another. 3. How does this help monarch butterflies to survive?
Viceroys are not poisonous to birds but look very similar to monarchs. 4. How does this help viceroy butterflies to survive?

Caterpillars and butterflies have many behaviors that help them to survive. Pick another animals and describe a behavior that they use to survive.

video

74 Comments:

At September 25, 2008 8:55 AM , Anonymous ashtin s said...

hey mrs rodriguez the answer to why do the caterpillars raise their hind parts and heads...... well they could be doing this for camouflage or hiding from other insects or animals so they can stay alive and not get eaten!!!!! They are very smart!!! Well i willl give you the answers to the other threee questions in a second bye bye for now

 
At September 25, 2008 8:57 AM , Anonymous JOSH Mike said...

1 I think they are getting ready to go in a chrysalis.
2 So birds wont eat them any more.
3 The birds will be careful and wont eat them.
4 If they look like monarchs then the birds won eat them.

 
At September 25, 2008 8:57 AM , Anonymous jacob said...

1. To defend them self’s.
2. To get away because they’re scared.
3. Birds stay away from them.
4. Birds think they’re monarch so they stay away.

 
At September 25, 2008 8:58 AM , Anonymous Liam said...

Hi! We enjoyed reading about all the interesting caterpillar behaviors you observed. For the first question, the "stick caterpillar" was probably using a form of camoflauge to hide from predators. The other caterpillar was sticking up both its front and hind parts to confuse oncoming birds. The caterpillars try to escape the "beat sheet" so that they can return to their host plant. They instinctively return to their host plant. If birds do not like eating the monarchs, they will therefore have a better chance of survival. The viceroy butterrflies mimic this to fool the birds into thinking that they are, in fact, monarchs. Another animal that uses defenses such as these is a porcupine, which has sharp quills to defend itself.We're glad your research is going well and liked watching your video. Send another one soon!

 
At September 25, 2008 8:58 AM , Anonymous ashtin s said...

hi again its ashtin the answer to the second question, why do the caterpillars head for the ground when they are on the beat sheet, they probably like to be in hiding and when you see them on the beat sheet they probably feel very shown and afraid so when they head for the ground they are just trying to maybe get tot he ground for camouflage. il be right back and answer the other two questins bye

 
At September 25, 2008 8:59 AM , Anonymous mark tumosa said...

1. I think they do that because they wanted to blend into their natural habitat.
2. I think they do that because they are scared and want to escape.
3. It helps them survive because the birds have learned that they taste bad and they wont eat them again.
4. It helps them survive because the birds wont eat the monarch because they are poisonous and if the other caterpillar or butterfly looks like a monarch the birds wont eat it because they think it is poisonous.

 
At September 25, 2008 8:59 AM , Anonymous Kailey Wilson said...

#1. i think they do this because maybe its self defense.
#2. i think they do this because they don't like the texture of the paper and they would rather be on the ground.
#3. this will help them survive because if birds hate the taste of them the wont eat them
#4. if they both look alike then the bird will think there the same and wont eat them because the taste bad.

 
At September 25, 2008 8:59 AM , Anonymous Lucy said...

1. I think that the caterpillars stretch themselves out and raise themselves on their hind legs because they want to be able to relax and bask in the sun. I also think that maybe they are getting ready to cocoon and are making the moves.
2. I think why the caterpillars try and get of f of the paper because they are afraid and want to be in the wild. I think they are just using defensive skills because they know by instinct that when caught bad things will happen.
3. When a butterfly eats the milkweed and the birds eats the monarch butterfly then the bird will become sick. This helps the monarch butterfly to survive because after it happens once the birds will not want to eat any butterflies that look like the monarch.
4. What happens with the viceroys butterfly is that they look like the monarch butterfly so the birds keep away. This is lucky for the viceroys butterfly because they can’t eat the milkweed so they have a secondhand of defense

 
At September 25, 2008 9:00 AM , Anonymous COLLEEN!!! said...

1. I think that they do that for camouflage.
2. I think they do this because they are scared because they got rumbled out of their home. So they try to escape.
3. This helps them survive because the birds won't eat the butterflies because the birds vomit when they eat milkweed.
4. If they look like monarchs, monarchs are piousness so the something that tries to eat it wont because it will think the butterfly was a monarch.

 
At September 25, 2008 9:01 AM , Anonymous Tim N. and Dan Z. said...

1. When disturbed, Notodontidae rais their heads.
2. The caterpillars instictively move away from the beat sheet as a natural reaction to stress
3. The birds stay away from the monarch larvae because they learn that they are poisonous.
4. Viceroys are avoided because the birds think they are monarchs. This will help them survive because the birds will stay away.
5. Chameleons have camouflage which allows them to disguise into the backround.

 
At September 25, 2008 9:01 AM , Anonymous ashtin s said...

hey againnnn so the answer to your third question, how does the birds eating the milkweed thats poisonous to the monarchs help the monarchs to stay alive?? well when the birds eat the milkweed the milkweed is going away and ten the monarchs wont be able to eat it anymore so they wont die!!! i will give you the last question in a second brb

 
At September 25, 2008 9:02 AM , Anonymous Linde said...

This place sounds really cool. I hope you are having fun.
1. I think they do these things for protection. They try to blend in or hide themselves from predators.
Polar Bear is so cute!
2. They probably want to get away from predators, also known as you in this case! They probably don't want to be captured.
3. This helps because only one caterpillar has to be eaten and then the birds will have "spread the news" that it the caterpillar is really bad.
4. This helps because the birds will think that it is a monarch and think it s not good to eat so they will not eat the Viceroys.

Just wondering, what is your favorite caterpillar so far? Have you found any very unique caterpillars yet? I can't wait to see you back.

Bye!

Some vicious animals might use fighting to protect themselves. Like tigers or lions.

 
At September 25, 2008 9:02 AM , Anonymous Taylor C said...

1 I think that they do these things because they are trying to get other caterpillar’s attention.
2 I think they go away because that is their instinct to go away.
3 I think that it helps the monarch butterflies because the butterflies eat the milkweed so then they don’t get eaten.
4 It helps the viceroy butterflies because since they look similar to the monarch the birds don’t go near the viceroy butterflies.

 
At September 25, 2008 9:04 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Caterpillar Behavior"
#1-I think the Notodontidae makes itself looks like a stick because no predator would want to eat a stick.
#2-The caterpillars are probably scared of being captured and since the probably came from the ground at one point, they know it could be a safe place to retreat to.
#3-The 1 monarch that dies will be gone , but the predators know that they taste icky, so the monarchs won't be eaten anymore.
#4-The predators know that monarchs taste gross because of milkweed. Predators know what monarchs look like, so they might confuse the monarch with the viceroy so as a conclusion the predators will avoid both the monarch and the viceroy.
Another animal that has unusual behaviors that helps it to survive is a weird kind of lizard. This lizard can make its tail fall off if a predator grabs it.
-SKYLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
At September 25, 2008 9:05 AM , Anonymous melissa shain said...

1. i think that caterpillars do this because they are warning you
2. i think that caterpillars do this is because they don't want to be captured
3. monarchs would survive because birds would know not to eat the caterpillars. for example if you ate something that you didn't like then yuo wouldn't eat it ever again
4. they would because the birds don't eat monarchs and veiroys look like monarchs so the bird s would get poisend if the ate a monarch.

 
At September 25, 2008 9:05 AM , Anonymous ashtin s said...

heres question four how do the monarchs look help the vicus butterfly stay alive well the vicus butterfly looks just like the monarh and monarchs are poisonous to birds so then the vicus butterfly will not get eaten because they look like the monarchs! wel there are all the answers to the questions so i wish you luck and i will talk to you this afternoon in er during d1 talk to you later bye

 
At September 25, 2008 9:05 AM , Anonymous jon G. said...

To look like they have 2 heads.Probobly because they are scared.They're probobly less eaten because they taste bad and make birds sick.If nothing eats the monarchs then the mimick wont be eaten.

 
At September 25, 2008 9:09 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. I think try to get off get off the beat sheet because there instinct tells them that there is danger and to try to get away, because if someone hit me off of something and I landed on something I would try to get off.
2. It helps them survive because this way only one is eaten instead of many being eaten and less of them.
3. This helps Viceroys to survive because predators such as birds will think that they are Monarchs and will not eat them

Daniel Dirrigl

 
At September 25, 2008 10:23 AM , Anonymous cameron kelley said...

i think they do this to bled in so preditos cant find them and eat them

 
At September 25, 2008 10:27 AM , Anonymous cameron kelley said...

i think they do this because if there on the ground then they cant get on the beat sheet because you only beat the leafs and trees

 
At September 25, 2008 10:30 AM , Anonymous cameron kelley said...

i think that monarchs eat these so the birds no not to eat them because
they taste

 
At September 25, 2008 10:30 AM , Anonymous Nika said...

I think that this helps the Monarch butterfly because if the bird is smart enough and already had tried to eat one caterpillar and it tastes bad I think that the bird won't try to eat caterpillars anymore so this helps the Monarch stay alive.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:32 AM , Anonymous Jamsine J said...

1. the caterpillars do this for camoflauge. Or to hide themselves for their preditors.
2.the caterpillars tried to grt of the sheet because tey were frightened by you and they tried to get away.
3. The caterpillars do theat for their protection from the birds.
4.It helps them by protecting theselves like the monarc caterpillar.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:32 AM , Anonymous cameron kelley said...

this helps this butterfly who look like a monarch because the birds will think its a monarch and not eat it because it taste bad

 
At September 25, 2008 10:33 AM , Anonymous Nika said...

I think that this helps the Viceroy because if they look more like Monarchs then the birds will know better not to eat that one because they will think the Viceory is a poisonous Monarch.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:33 AM , Anonymous elise said...

1. so they can blend in so they cant get eaten.
2.so they don't die and can stay where they are.
3.because it there on the leaf then the bird or other animal won't come and eat it.
4.because if they look the same then they wont try to eat it

 
At September 25, 2008 10:33 AM , Anonymous Pam Csiki said...

hey mrs.rodriquez,
1. i think that the caterpillars r acting like that because they r trying to blend in with the enviroment. they are camofluaging themselves to protect their body from predetors or any other thing that can comit harm to them. 2. they are doin this so that they do not die. 3. this help the monarch butterfly because if the bird tries one he wont try another so even though one dies that one may save a lot of lives.
4. this helps them to survive because birds will think they are monarch and refuse to eat them. because they look the same birds can really not see if it is one or the other.
HOPE YOU ARE HAVING FUN!!!!
-pammy

 
At September 25, 2008 10:35 AM , Anonymous Isabelle C. said...

1.I think these caterpillars behave like this for protection. I think it's for camlafladge.
2.I think it's because the caterpillar will want to hide or crawl back up the tree.
3.This helps Manarchs to survive because less and less birds will keep eating them.
4.Looking like Monarchs helps Viceroys because they look like Monarchs, and the birds will know not to eat them, thinking they are monarchs.
:)

 
At September 25, 2008 10:35 AM , Anonymous Isabelle C. said...

1.I think these caterpillars behave like this for protection. I think it's for camlafladge.
2.I think it's because the caterpillar will want to hide or crawl back up the tree.
3.This helps Manarchs to survive because less and less birds will keep eating them.
4.Looking like Monarchs helps Viceroys because they look like Monarchs, and the birds will know not to eat them, thinking they are monarchs.
:)

 
At September 25, 2008 10:35 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the reason the caterpillars are acting this way to maybe because the caterpillars may want to blend in and so you cant see them. This also can mean there affence position.
Michela M :)

 
At September 25, 2008 10:36 AM , Anonymous Sam D said...

1. i think the caterpillar would do this so it could confuse its prettier.
2.i think they would do this because maybe it is used to the ground and wants to be in its natural habitat.
3. it helps the monarch butterfly because the bird wont try to it it, or any other monarch again, witch makes it easier for it to survive.
4 this helps the viceroy butterfly to survive because the bird will think it is a monarch and wont eat it.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:36 AM , Anonymous Nika said...

I think caterpillars try to crawl off the beat sheet because with a person hitting the branch it probably seems like a bird just pownced on the branch so when you catch it the caterpillar tries to escape so it won't get eaten.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:36 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

#1 Maybe the caterepillar got mad for some reason-maybe he was tired!
#2 I think they dont want to be held so they try to squirm away.
#3 It reminds birds not to eat monarch caterpillars so then they can live.
#4 Monarch butterflies distract birds from the ones they can eat which are called viceroys.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:37 AM , Anonymous Lizzy said...

1.I think they do these things to protect themselves from there enemys
2.I think they do that because they think they are in danger.
3.That helps monarek butterflys survive beceasue the brids know they tast horile.
4.It helps Vicrusy buterflys becasue brids think they look like monarcs.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:38 AM , Anonymous Nika said...

I think that the caterpillars stretch out straight like a stick because they can either try to camoflauge or defend theirselves from pray.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:39 AM , Anonymous Owen M said...

1. I think the caterpillars are trying to get off the cloth because they want to try to get back on the tree or burrow in the grownd.

2. If they try to eat one and get the nasty experience they will end up stop eating them. One might lose its life but it will save many more caterpillars.

3. The birds will think that they are monarch caterpillars or butterflie which makes the caterpillers not likely to be eaten.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:39 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. I think they do this so enemys cant find them.
2.I think they do this becassue they think they are in danger
3.I think this helps them becasue bids think they are gross
4.I think this helps them becasue birds think they are monarks.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:41 AM , Anonymous Zachary P. said...

hi. how you doing. I think it is cool that the caterpillar can protect its self like that. the monarchs have power in #s. the caterpillars that look like monarchs, they have power o camouflage. I have a question for you, what do your partners look like. what does the place that you stay at look like. Are caterpillars are doing great. They are getting very big. Can't wait till your next blog.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:41 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that the scientists hold a beat board under the bush so that the caterpillars are visible and you can catch them easier.
Michela M.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:43 AM , Anonymous Kate 7-3 said...

The Dotted Gray made itself look like a stick because no birds eat sticks. The Notodontidae was probably exercising a survival skill, as well. Also, caterpillars are only interested in a nature setting like trees and leaves, so canvas is of no interest to them. If eating a monarch caterpillar is inedible to a bird, then the bird will not try to eat it or any caterpillar that look like it and therefore might be a poisonous monarch.

 
At September 25, 2008 10:46 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

#1. Dotted Gray and the Notodontidae do those things for protection
2. They do this because they don't have camoflage and they are scared.

From
Chris Dwelley

 
At September 26, 2008 9:00 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mrs.Rodriguez,
I think the caterpillars are acting the way they are as a form of defense and they are trying to protect themselves. I think they try to get of the beat sheet because they have never felt anything like it before and the ground looks familiar. It helps Monarchs survive because if every bird only eats one monarch ever the population will keep growing. It helps Viceroy butterflies survive because birds may confuse them with monarchs.

Bye,
Ariana

 
At September 26, 2008 9:01 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mrs.Rodriguez

1 we think they did it like protection or camouflage

2 we think they tried to get of the beat sheet because they were frightened

3 it helps provide a source of protection with out doing much

4 we think it will help the viceroys butterfly because it can be mistaken for a monarch which will help the bug live longer without being eaten

sincerely
Julia and Alyssa

p.s we hope that the weather is good in New Orleans because we have a big monsoon blowing in located in our hometown of little old Willington!

 
At September 26, 2008 9:02 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Mrs. Rodriguez, it's Erik! to answer question #1, they do those actions to conceal themselves from predators, or to ambush their prey. Have fun in Louisianna!

 
At September 26, 2008 9:04 AM , Anonymous Danny S said...

1.I think they are acting like that to defend themselves. They are trying to blend in or make themselves look bigger.
2.I think they run away because they are scared. They think they are being attacked by predators and are making a break for it.
3.One of the caterpillars is taking one for the team. They kill one but then the bird stays away from that species so they flourish.
4.The birds don't eat them because they look like monarch caterpillars.

 
At September 26, 2008 9:05 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it's so the predator thinks it's ready to attack.

I think it is because they were taken out of their home so they try to get back.

If it tastes bad the bird won't eat it. the birds will get confused and won't take the chance of eating it.

Kory

 
At September 26, 2008 9:09 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. I think the one that stretches out like a stick is using camoflauge
The one that lifts its front and back is stretching

2. They like the ground because that’s where they live

3. Only one dies and he dies for the entire species

4. Same as monarchs


My last entry is with adele’s she didn’t put my name on because she forgot

sam roberts

 
At September 26, 2008 9:09 AM , Anonymous Josh f said...

1. I think they do that for camouflage so other animals don't prey on them.
2. I think they do this because they are more scared and don't want to get eaten.
3. Then the birds don't want to eat the butterflies and then the population of the butterflies doesn't deplete as much.
4. When the birds eat the type of butterflies once they will get the taste of the viceorys and will remember what the butterflies look like and what they taste like and they won't eat them and the population won't go down as fast.

 
At September 26, 2008 9:10 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Mrs. Rodriguez,
1. The caterpillars probably did these activities because they were afraid and that might have been their defense. The Dotted Gray caterpillar probably was using camouflage.
2. The caterpillars most likely tried to get off the beat sheet because they didn't want to be held captive. They also might be afraid you were going to harm them of eat them.
3. The fact that the monarch caterpillars are only eaten once by the birds helps the species because they aren't eaten as much.
4. The fact that Viceroys look like monarch caterpillars is like a camouflage saying I am poisonous don't eat me.

Vanessa 7-2

 
At September 26, 2008 9:11 AM , Anonymous Kaeley V. said...

Hi Mrs.Rodriguez!
I am glad that I got to show you our caterpillar's! The answer to Wednesday's blog #
1.I think that the caterpillars do these things because because they try to protect themselves from being eaten.
2.I think that the caterpillars do this because they want to eat, and are not use to the environment of the beeter.
3. This helps the butterflies o survive because once the bird stops eating that kind of butterfly, they stop eating butterflies and the butterflies are not eaten at all.
4.This helps the Viceroy because the birds think that they are poisonus.


See you soon!
Kaeley V p.s. do you think you can post a picture of the Professor?
Kaeley

 
At September 26, 2008 9:12 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. Why do you think they do these things?
Answer: I think they do that because they might scene your presents and try to blend in.
2. Why do you think they do this?
Answer: I think they do that because they are scared.
3. How does this help monarch butterflies to survive?
Answer: I think it helps the butterflies survive because if they keep eating what there eating then the birds will not eat them.
4: How does this help viceroy butterflies to survive?
Answer: I think it helps them survive because if the bird thinks that the butterfly is they other kind then they wont eat them because they don’t want to get sick and throw up.

From,
Adele H.

 
At September 26, 2008 9:21 AM , Anonymous Kayley C said...

I tried to answer question 1 but i couldn't fin the dotted gray caterpillars. Is the dotted gray caterpillars its real name or is there a different name.

2 i think they do this because they are trying to find there original habitat

3it helps them survive because they can travel in packes its less likely for anything to happen to most of the caterpillars traveling.


4 it will help them because they will look piousness to the bird so they wont get eaten.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:34 AM , Anonymous Nick.s and Lucas.H said...

Yes Catipillars do have blood

No they dont have bones a exo skeleton Nick.s

1. Exoskeleton
2.3 main body parts head,thorax,abdomen
3.insects anteanne on there head
4.3 legged
5.pair of wings

They use them to brethe
Lucas.H
Nick.s
"p.s. this is an older one that i forgot to put my name on :( woops have a good trip"

 
At September 26, 2008 10:36 AM , Anonymous Kurdt polttila said...

#1 it stretches out for camouflage #2 is to get away
#3 is the bird wont want to eat another
#4 they are using camouflage




from Kurdt

 
At September 26, 2008 10:36 AM , Anonymous Alex said...

Hi Mis.R its your favorite student caterpillars get mad easily they will spray black suff from their mouths DON'T TOUCH THE SPIKES ON ANY OF THE SPIKES ON A CATERPILLAR!!!!! they can be poisonous have a great day.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:38 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

this helps monarck catipelers to insure the surfiful of the manark speices.


hope your haveing a great time innew orleans.

nick b

ps. me and nick p want a present

 
At September 26, 2008 10:38 AM , Anonymous danielle eldredge said...

Dear miss rodriguez
how are you !!!! i have found the answers to the questions 1. i think that they put there head up or show a singh because it could be that they are ery scared or that they know someone is there and is warning them to stay away or they could be warning other caterpillars that a preadtor is near question number 2 i think that they head for te ground after they land is either they are scared or that they arent use to the sheet because before they were on a hard rough tree and now they have just landed on something soft
so thats why i think they head back to someting hard rough. question 3 i think that birds dont go after monarchs because they could be poinunuss or they could be scared that they are realy bright. question 4 ithink that they dont bother them is because they look like monarchs and monarchs could be poisonnuss o the bird will no that it looks monach and will stay away. I got to go now have fun and stay safe see you soom DANIELLE ELDREDGE

 
At September 26, 2008 10:38 AM , Anonymous Ellerie said...

1. Maybe the little thing was looking around and stood up to get a better view.

2. The caterpillars are afraid, and feel like anywhere, even the ground, is safer.

3. Even though, the butterfly dies, the bird learns and won't try to eat a monarch again. Perhaps it's caterpillar teamwork!

4. When a bird learns not to eat a monarch, it will avoid anything that looks like it. Thus, the caterpillar is safe unless the bird hasn't learned it's lesson.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:40 AM , Anonymous codi said...

1. I believe that the caterpillers are trying to blend in to protect themselves.
2. I think that the caterpillers were scared so they tried to escape.
3. It helps monarch butterflies to survive because the bird that eats the butterfly will not eat another one because it made them vomit, so theres less butterflies eaten.
4. This helps them to survive because birds could mistake them as monarch butterflies and not eat them because they know monarch butterflies make them vomit.

How common garden lizards survive in a screened in room with plenty plants:
1. they have a lot of insects to eat.
2. they need moisture and a screened in room carries moisture.
3. when the plants are watered, they can go over and drink the dripping water off the plants.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:40 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1 Catepillars use these tricks to camouflage to hide from preditors.
2 They might think that you are a different kind of preditor.
3 After a Monarch is eaten the eater will not continue to eat it because it tastes really bab.
4 A Monarch butterflie tastes really bab so the bird willnot eat the caterpillar.

Lucas H.

Nick S.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:41 AM , Anonymous Catrina P said...

A Notodontidae, raised both its head and hind parts up in the air.
1. Why do you think they do these things?
Many species have a tuft of hair on the trailing edge of the fore wing which protrudes upwards at rest.

Some caterpillars try to get off the beat sheet and head for the ground. 2. Why do you think they do this?

Maybe because they want to get free and they might think they are in danger because humans are holding the beat sheet.

The one caterpillar or butterfly that gets eaten dies, but the bird will not try to eat another. 3. How does this help monarch butterflies to survive?

They may offer one another so they dont get eaten and it says that they only eat one out of ____ butterflys.

Viceroys are not poisonous to birds but look very similar to monarchs. 4. How does this help viceroy butterflies to survive?

The viceroy and monarch were once thought to exhibit Batesian mimicry where a harmless species mimics a toxic species. Studies conducted in the early 1990's suggest that the viceroy and the monarch are actually examples of Mullerian mimicry where two equally toxic species mimic each other to the benefit of each. Just goes to show you there's always something new to discover in the natural world!

p.s.- I miss u a lot and so does everyone else! Come back soon!!!
(-:

 
At September 26, 2008 10:45 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1.to stretch out of a pose
2.because they are scared
3.i think that it will help because the monarch butterfly tastes bad so the butterfly population exspans
4.the population expands because the bird will think it is a monarch instead of the viceroy butterfly

Michael giangrande and
Phillip Labelle

 
At September 26, 2008 10:45 AM , Anonymous Nick P. said...

Hey Mrs. Rodriguez! Nick P. here! These are my answers to 1, 2, 3, and 4.
1.I think the caterpillars do this because they want to camoflouge themselves.
2. I think they try to do this because they want to gt away from being trapped.
3. This helps the butterflies to survive because then they do not get eaten.
4. This helps the butterflies to survive because then birds don't come near them.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:46 AM , Anonymous brendan said...

#1 Hi i think they do that maybe to look dead.
#2 maybe they run to the ground so it blends in so the birds dont eat them.
#3 maybe so the brave ones pertect the new wons.
#4 i think they do this to pertect the little butterflys.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:49 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. I think the Notodontidae caterpillar raises its head and hind parts in the air to stretch and move around.
2. I think the caterpillars try so hard to get off the beat sheet so they won't get captured.
3. When the bird spits out the Monarch butterfly it won't eat another one because of the way it tastes. This helps other Monarch butterflies to survive because the bird knows the first one tasted terrible.
4. The Viceroy butterflies looks just like the Monarch butterfly so if the bird has already tasted a Monarch butterfly, it won't try to eat a Viceroy. This will help the Viceroys live longer.
Ayla S.

 
At September 26, 2008 10:49 AM , Anonymous Megan S. said...

1. caterpillars probably go on their back legs to get a better look around.
2. they are probably try to crawl off so they can go back to their original habitat.
3. milkweed helps to keep monarchs survive because then they don't get eaten as much so there are more.
4. i can't find it.

 
At September 29, 2008 8:56 AM , Anonymous patrick said...

caterpillers rise there heads to hide from predators

 
At September 29, 2008 9:07 AM , Anonymous Gabe L. said...

1. I think they bend because they are trying to blend in with their suroundings
2. I believe they do this because they are on the leaves so they aren't very sturdy so you can knock them down and catch them on a pad
3. I think that the milkweed has some type of poison that tastes really bad so it makes the birds stomach throw it up
4. Yes I think it dos because if the bird all ready knows that the monarch tastes bad so that they wont want to make another bad decision
Gabe L.

 
At September 29, 2008 9:18 AM , Anonymous Austin B. said...

Hi! I hope that you had a really good time kayaking. I'm glad that you found a lot of cool caterpillars.

 
At September 29, 2008 10:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1. I think they do this so enemy cant find them.
2.I think they do this because they think they are in danger
3.I think this helps them because bids think they are gross
4.I think this helps them because birds think they are monarchs.

sorry i sent it anonymous i meant tp put my name on it so here it is so sorry hope your having fun!!!

-jaime s.

 
At September 30, 2008 10:26 AM , Anonymous Josh f said...

Hey, its joshf how long is the river you went kayacking in and how far on the river did you go?

 
At September 30, 2008 2:04 PM , Anonymous Alex said...

1. I think that the caterpillars stretch themselves out and raise themselves on their hind legs because they want to be able to relax and bask in the sun. I also think that maybe they are getting ready to cocoon and are making the moves.
2. I think why the caterpillars try and get of f of the paper because they are afraid and want to be in the wild. I think they are just using defensive skills because they know by instinct that when caught bad things will happen.
3. When a butterfly eats the milkweed and the birds eats the monarch butterfly then the bird will become sick. This helps the monarch butterfly to survive because after it happens once the birds will not want to eat any butterflies that look like the monarch.
4. What happens with the viceroys butterfly is that they look like the monarch butterfly so the birds keep away. This is lucky for the viceroys butterfly because they can’t eat the milkweed so they have a secondhand of defense

Alex

 
At October 1, 2008 8:56 AM , Anonymous Catrina P said...

1.How many monarchs per minute can you count?

15 butterfly's per minute.

2.How many monarchs per hour would that be?

I did 15 x 60= 900 monarchs per hour!

3.Where would you like to watch migration after looking at this map?

I wold want to watch the monarch migration at our school for a project because on the map, it says that they come this way to migrate.

4.What questions does it raise?

I want to know what is the largest amount of monarchs somebody has ever seen and if the monarchs always fly in packs.

5.When do monarchs begin to roost where you live?

On the fall.The timing of migration is quite similar from one year to the next.

 
At October 23, 2008 3:06 PM , Anonymous saranne said...

1. Why do you think they do these things?
So birds won’t eat the caterpillar.
2. Why do you think they do this?
So they won’t get hit or killed.
3. How does this help monarch butterflies to survive?
So they won’t get eaten.

4. How does this help viceroy butterflies to survive?
No because they look like monarchs and they won’t get eaten.

 

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